“If you think that it’s OK to take a knee during our national anthem and disrespect openly the national anthem, you are wrong,” Light told the newspaper.

The protests during the national anthem began last season, as a controversial way for players to demonstrate against police violence. They came back to the forefront last week, when President Donald Trump called on owners to fire players who demonstrate.

Players throughout the NFL reacted on Sunday, including several Patriots who kneeled or locked arms during the national anthem.

Light told the newspaper he was surprised that head coach Bill Belichick would let the protests happen on his watch. He said that the demonstration “would have never happened during my time."